Tesla Model X Premier tonight 8pm PST

I'm on their site, but nothing...

 

+1

Somebody screwed up

 

The info that I saw compared it to the Acura ZDX and the BMW 5 series GT - not cars that have been well received.

How the heck do they plan on getting 7 people in it - given the roofline those in the back would need to be either tiny or stacked like cordwood.

 

I have a DeLorean and apart from the gullwing doors, it looks nothing like it.

If going off of gullwings is the only comparison, then the Mercedes SLS is closer. It looks more round. The DeLorean is sqaureish with no curves, just edges. The exact opposite of the Model X.

 

Seriously, that's not a concept but a production proto? Say it isn't so. Tall people might bash heads on the doors and others might be afraid they come slamming down.

People want safety first with not a hint or thought that a door could come crashing down on their 3 year old. Show them all the engineering reports, they'll only see what could happen. Minivans, SUV's have lift hatches, but no babies in car seats into the hatch.

How about when rain is pouring down? Wouldn't this let more rain onto seats?

It increases the perimeter length between the doors and body, requiring more insulation, weatherstripping...

It's not that I don't like change, I do, but this ..... don't think gonna fly (pun intended). I'll bet big car companies tried this design years ago and was canned back when.

 

I wonder about the large touchscreen jutting out like that w/the corners. I wonder if that'll end like that in the final design due to crash safety reasons.

I too wonder about those rear doors and how much room is required vs. a conventional one. Might run into the problem that DeLoreans supposedly had w/not being able open in tight spaces.

 

I gave up on the web site and went to bed at 8:10. Yes, I go to bed early.

I don't care for gull wing doors. It's much too big a car for me. But my Prius is too big a car for me. 4.4 seconds to 60 is very impressive for a car that size, but I'll bet that's only if you charge in Performance mode, which shortens battery life, and might only be with an optional, more expensive, hand-wound motor. Oh, two hand-wound motors.

I really hope this car is a success. It seems early to be announcing it, with the Model S not yet in production.

What's the price going to be?

Edit: Ah, yes, there is a front-wheel drive version, an AWD version, and an AWD Performance version. Presumably the last has hand-wound, or precision-wound motors for extra torque at a higher price. That will be the one that gets 4.4 seconds to 60, but the others will be no souches. I see no prices yet. Later today you can reserve, but two years is a long time to wait. I wonder if anyone will cancel their Model S order in favor of the Model X. I would not. If I wanted this car I'd still get the S and then trade it in in two years.

 

Just re the gullwing doors:

Tall people being afraid of hitting their head or being afraid of it crashing into your child is ridiculous. Gullwing doors when designed properly are fully balanced so that it goes up and stays up like the hatch and takes force (but not too much) to pull it down. I have kids jump up and grab the hoops to pull my doors down and the door comes down with the kids' weight but as soon as they hit the ground it stays with tension and when they let go it opens fully back up. John DeLorean was well over 6ft tall and the gullwings on a tiny tiny sports car opened enough. The roof of my D is lower than some SUV's or trucks tire tops.

They are awesome in the rain, but only if it is going straight down. But when putting groceries in it is nice to have that extra time shielded from the weather to actually put them in instead of throwing them in and running for cover. Likewise when getting out, you can open the door swivel out, open the umbrella and exit without ever getting wet. You just can't do that with conventional doors.